Oddly Lucky!

I never thought I would find myself in a position to say that I'm lucky I have such a blasted delicate tummy, but apparently it is true.
See, it seems to me that there has been a lot of discussion lately about Mexican food, how everyone misses it and how pleased they would be if they could find a good Mexi place.

I can't eat Mexican food! I have terrible allergies to certain spices and to red peppers, so most Mexican food makes me sick as a dog!  Refried beans are practically indigestible to me, they sit in my tummy like rocks for hours!

HA HAHAHA HAH!  So I won't have to miss it the way you guys do, because I cannot eat it!

(Of course, I can't eat curry either.... :'( even smelling it can make my tummy go...but then, there are places here like that.  Pollo Tropical, for one...can't even smell the stuff.)

Anybody else looking forward to bland food everywhere?  Anyone else sharing my secret smug glee, that I will *not* miss Mexican food!?

Bah! I miss Mexican food and I'm not even American!! No fair!!

You know what's funny, I hated mexican food back home. I'm kinda like you, SAF, my stomach can't take the spicier stuff. And in my family, mexican is all we ate. But now that I can't get it so readily here it's become my all time favorite food. It's the strangest thing. However, I still can't take really spicy food and currys...yech Reeeally don't like them.

After 30 years I still have'nt aquired a taste for curries......something slightly disturbing about ingesting a food that can permanently discolor a formica table top.

I kind of feel left out of the 'search for Mexican' conversations because my exposure is limited to Taco Bell and Old El Paso.    And I can still get one of them here...

But LOVE the curries.  

I firmly believe that anyone who doesn't like curry just hasn't had a good one yet! I hated curry for years because I'd had a bad restaurant one at a young age, not to mention the revolting curried minced beef they used to serve up at school (and people wonder why I'm vegetarian?!), but was finally persuaded to go to a good indian restaurant and had a delicious mushroom curry - now you can't keep me away from Indian food.

I need an 'all of the above' option!  

I'll eat anything, really, but my first love is indeed Mexican...and honestly, if you've had *proper* Mexican food, it isn't actually all that spicy!  

Britwife, we seriously need to get together!  Hubby has yet to take me to an Indian restraunt for a curry.  So far my experience with curry is Tesco ready meals...blech!  It's on our list of things to do to go to a proper curry house one day tho (right after spend the weekend in Italy, take the Eurostar to France, visit the V&A, have children etc!)  Do you have any good suggestions?    

Mujko Desi Khanna bahut pasand hai!!!!---English translation: I love Indian food!!!

Mera pyara dost hai..... lol lol (It's my dear friend)

Favourite dishes:

Bhindi masala dam- or Okra Curry
Aloo Chapati (Punjabi)- Potado Chapati Panjabi style
Matar Paneer Masala- peas and panner cheese

*Masala means spiced.

As far as I am concerned the HOTTER the food is the BETTER---oh baby lol


Rezidesi<<<<now curses dorm food! lol

Me gusta comida mexicana tambien

Is anyone else a big Okra fan??? I bet you can't find that in England... .

peace,

Samantha***

Oh yes you can get okra!  Fresh in the produce section with the (green) beans, baby corn and asparagus!

I need an 'all of the above' option!  

I'll eat anything, really, but my first love is indeed Mexican...and honestly, if you've had *proper* Mexican food, it isn't actually all that spicy!  

Britwife, we seriously need to get together!  Hubby has yet to take me to an Indian restraunt for a curry.  So far my experience with curry is Tesco ready meals...blech!  It's on our list of things to do to go to a proper curry house one day tho (right after spend the weekend in Italy, take the Eurostar to France, visit the V&A, have children etc!)  Do you have any good suggestions?    

Yes I can recommend quite a few places! If in doubt head for Brick Lane, you can't really go wrong there. Our latest favourite is a place called Mela just opposite the Spitz bar/Spitalfields Market.  I'll let you know next time we're heading for a curry ... we usually can't go more than 2 weeks without a fix ...

The weird thing for me is that I loved Indian food in the states and can't stand it here! Since I'm vegetarian, it always provided lots of tasty options, but apparently all that time I wasn't eating TRUE Indian food (aka curry).

The first Indian restaurant hubby took me to was the best one he knew, highly authentic and in a very Indian area (can't remember where now).

Well, first everything on the menu was in another language so I didn't know what to order (I felt like such a dork ugly American since I couldn't find any of the dishes I liked!). He ordered for us and when I started to try all the different options, it took about 5 minutes until my mouth was so ON FIRE that I could no longer taste anything! Must have had a gallon of water that night!  

So we tried another one much later on and armed with the knowledge that I couldn't handle the spiciness, hubby ordered what he thought would be mild items, only to have me at the point where all I could eat was the bread. I was so disappointed!

So now he continues to crave curry and I can't bear to try again! Any ideas out there???

Hi Bruinbrooke,

Oh dear! It sounds to me like you are going to the wrong places or ordering the wrong things! What kind of curries did you normally have in the US? The mildest ones you will see on a menu here are korma and passanda which are both creamy - if you don't want creamy try a massala which is a bit spicey but not usually overpowering - ask for it very mild if you're a bit wary.

Maybe a UK Yankee curry night is in order??  

Liz

Brooke, when hubby and I get Indian food here, we get a big appetizer sampler, with lots of mild little fried things that are yummy.
Also, garlic naan bread and (I think) aloo naan, which had beef and peas in it and is delicious.
That's a meal for me, and no curry spices to make my tummy hurt!

I love mexican food! My favorite restaurant back home in Michigan was "Dos Pesos".
Since i've moved to England I've gone back to the basics....I make all my own mexican food.  
I make my own tortilla shells either wheat or corn cuz i have found masa harina at sainsburrys...even made my own tamales using the masa harina ....make my own taco sauce....and homemade salsa, so i do get to enjoy the basic things at home....i do miss the restaurant and a much more varried menue it has to offer.
I'm going back home for a visit in about 6 weeks!!!!  I never got around to taking my brit wife to the mexican restaurant....but we are definitly having a dinner or two while were back for the visit.

As for the indian curry's over here....i have to pass on them.  I can't see what the whole fuss is. Maybe cuz I havn't had a good one.
I could never eat one after having a few drinks....give me a god ol' american pizza to top it off  

-bob

Various Indian food quotes from various people:

Maybe a UK Yankee curry night is in order??  

The weird thing for me is that I loved Indian food in the states and can't stand it here! Since I'm vegetarian, it always provided lots of tasty options, but apparently all that time I wasn't eating TRUE Indian food (aka curry)…..


Well, first everything on the menu was in another language so I didn't know what to order (I felt like such a dork ugly American since I couldn't find any of the dishes I liked!).


Hubby has yet to take me to an Indian restraunt for a curry.  So far my experience with curry is Tesco ready meals...blech!

Oh yes you can get okra!  Fresh in the produce section with the (green) beans, baby corn and asparagus!
!

Ah yes, you are definately right...curry night is order...send the airplane!

I am not sure who can say what "true" Indian food is...but a great majority of it definately is curry based (Another more "authentic" word for curry would be "Daam." Do you that the British actually made the word curry up? (Interesting fact of the day ) Either way, everyone keep their hopes up for me and I can tell you what real Indian food is like in the Spring of 2005

I am vegetarian too, I find that Asian food is much more veggie friendly than western foods-especially German cusine.

Oooo ((raises hand)) I can speak Hindi...if anyone needs a translation I got it.

Oh yikes I know what you mean by "ready made Indian food." At the more "posh" grocceries  you can get the stuff made by "Pataks," its out of England so maybe you have heard of it. Not too bad, waaaay too mild though. The rest of the brands seem to be rubbish, including the stuff straight from India purchased at the Desi (Indian) grocery---

MMMM Okra!!! I love that stuff but naturally its not in dorm foods and being in the midwest is not ideal. Okra is a very southern thing...so when in Georgia or Florida I eat a lot; and in the more urban grocery stores I can find it in the summer in Milwaukee.

Is Okra or the other veg you mentioned more expensive in the UK? Where is it grown?

Samantha***